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If I still had TWC I would be dropping them today. You can dink around with local stations all you want (who watches those?). But when you pick a fight with everybody up and down the pay dial you render yourself obsolete . . .

Yeah BIGTRUTH, I'd agree with you but your are no longer a TWC customer and I just mailed them the check.

I AM going to dump TWC as soon as I find a way to get 1: 10G internet service which I have with TWC but I pay about $50 per month for. I know that AT&T is now available so I can get U-verse. But AT&T does not appear to be able to offer 10G internet at all.

I am looking at "a la carte" service and have studied it for at least the last year. I have not found anything that will lower the robber baron TWC cost FOR WHAT I AM RECEIVING.

This stuff is "monopoly" territory. I could go to dish but that requires a waver that I'm fairly sure that I could get, living in an apartment complex, other tenants have dish.

But EVERYONE wants me to take on a home phone service that I don't need.

We need a citizens rebellion. One that could potentially KILL TWC. YES!!!

This is it, though. I was looking to switch after they dropped NBC, but after this bombshell, I'm calling TWC now to cancel. Dropping a premium channel like Showtime (and offering Starz as "a courtesy") as a negotiating tactic is absolutely unacceptable. I'm done with TWC, and I don't even care that I don't have AT&T lined up yet.

Nobody cares about this spat between TWC and JBG except TWC and JBG . If people want it that bad they can hook up an antenna and get the over the air signal FOR FREE. Media is changing. People want their shows when they want to watch their shows, and that demand can now be accommodated. The market is shifting in that direction despite the resistance put up by these aging dinosaurs. Cable TV/Satellite TV are on their way out the same way house phones and single purpose mobile devices have gone.

I've read the explanations from both sides, and I'm really not impressed with either. JBG's half-cup of coffee appeal is condescending, and TWC's drama about how CBS "forced us to stop carrying their programming" is not at all convincing. Both sides are inappropriately airing their business in public, and kind of insulting our intelligence, too. I'm pretty sure that the real deal here is that both companies are trying to do the same thing -- deliver to their shareholders.

And, of course, tehflud is right -- all we have to do to get WTMJ is get the rabbit ears back out of the basement. That's really not so bad. On the other hand, TWC's decision to stop delivering Showtime leaves customers with no option but to go with one of their competitors. It's really breathtaking that TWC just went and dropped a channel for which I (for one) am paying them $14.99 a month extra.

Duane, can we get an article on any local resurgence in TV antenna sales? And for extra value, a how-to on how to get a DVR to work with one?

FredCity, to hook up a DVR to your rabbit ears, buy a TiVo Premier for $150 (the more expensive TiVos don't work with rabbit ears). You will also have to pay $15/month for TiVo service (or pay another $500 up front for lifetime service). The TiVo also needs web access (for program information) via ethernet, wifi, or (last resort) a phone line. This model has a capacity of 75 hours of HD programming (expandable if you buy an external disk drive), has two tuners (record two channels while watching a third), and accepts a cable-card allowing you to use it with cable (but not U-Verse).

I have an older model TiVo (HD-XL) and I love it. (I don't have cable.) It is far easier to set up than most digital TVs or converter boxes. Most digital TVs and converter boxes scan all available channels looking for digital content. This takes time and requires that your antenna be aimed properly (if your antenna is aimed wrong, it may miss some stations). But it is very difficult to aim your antenna unless you've gone through a successful scan (which you can't do unless you've aimed your antenna correctly).

TiVo avoids this problem by asking you to enter your zipcode. It then checks a database of digital stations on the web, eliminating the need to scan anything. Then the TiVo provides the tools you need to aim your antenna.

It's ridiculous to say "Nobody cares about this spat." If you are a subscriber and affected by this you sure as hell care. Just because you don't care or propose what YOU think is a solution doesn't mean it not important to those people affected.

People who tell others what they should do instead are hilarious. Maybe they don't want to do this or just don't like the alternatives some propose. If you don't think it is important, I would suggest you not pay attention to these articles. That's pretty easy to understand isn't it ?

I have not been convinced before. But this debacle by TWC is definitely making me think about it. Where is gov walker on this debacle? Never mind. This might just be an aldermanic issue. Or a Mayorial issue?

Maybe a Federal issue. TWC is obviously a "nearly monopoly" issue and they don't care about their customers.

My TWC went out the night before last. I may have been due to the construction on W Capitol Drive. I don't know. But I called and in desperate NEED of internet service at that moment in time, all that I wanted to KNOW was, "is this outage going to be for an hour?, a day?, just WHAT?

No one could, nor CAN answer that question until the techs evaluate the problem. At that moment my cell phone carried the day.

Time Warner Cable in Milwaukee/Wauwatosa is ARROGANT. They cannot care less about the customer. Just keep paying the money and they are not responsible for occasional "outages".

GUESS WHAT! TOO BAD. So live with it or start your own service. It just isn't easy. But MAKE TWC wake up and stop impoverishing people through outright ROBBERY. How much fg money do you NEED to TAKE?

Time Warner Cable will deny this, & most folks are in the woods about this. TWC is a third party constituent who simply uses a satellite service & system to provide a cabled satellite program service. They do offer bundled services as high speed internet services & home phone lines, but the basics are included in the bundled satellite/internet/phone package. They are in the market to make money & offer different packages to fit the needs of most any consumer. For instance the faster the internet service = the most costly packages. Same for programing, the more programs you want, the more you pay. Most TWC customers for a $230.00 - $250.00 per month basic satellite/internet/phone service with a good selection of channels including high definition. Folks who really want to try & save money use TWC for basic the internet/phone services only. Than they have a satellite dish with digital programing to suite there needs. The only problem, TWC will not come out & hook up internet/phone service only. Is it starting to sink in as to why. NO MONEY IN IT ...... Get rid of the middle-man, problem solved.

Good thing I read this story, otherwise I would not have known to look for a credit on my bill for Showtime and TMC. I am ready to drop cable all together. Not because of TWC... It is not their fault there is crap on the channels they provide.

Dropping the Showtime networks (which we pay extra for) is just plain bizarre on the part of TWC. They may be trying to use some extra leverage vs. CBS to negotiate better rates in the markets where CBS owns local channels (NYC, LA, etc.) but to punish customers paying extra for Showtime across the country is not a good business tactic. I imagine customers everywhere are swamping TWC with calls and complaints right now, especially if they live outside a market with a dispute about local affiliate channels.